What is the ruling on not responding to the people of innovation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
The questioner asks: Is not responding to the people of innovation, concealing their falsehood, and defending them considered a form of deception toward the Muslims?
Answer:
This is one of the greatest forms of deception toward the Muslims. Remaining silent about the people of innovation and not clarifying their innovations is deception toward the Muslims. If this is accompanied by praising them and speaking well of them, it is even more severe and more reprehensible, may Allah protect us from it. It is obligatory for one who has knowledge to clarify the innovations and newly invented matters, to forbid them, to warn against them, and not to remain silent. Silence is a form of concealment[Al-Baqarah 2:159-160].
[Al-Baqarah 2:160] It is not permissible for a Muslim who has knowledge to remain silent about innovations and deviations and not clarify them to the people, because if he remains silent, people will use him as an excuse and say, "If this were forbidden or prohibited, such-and-such a scholar would not have remained silent while he sees it." Yes.
The questioner asks: Is not responding to the people of innovation, concealing their falsehood, and defending them considered a form of deception toward the Muslims?
Answer:
This is one of the greatest forms of deception toward the Muslims. Remaining silent about the people of innovation and not clarifying their innovations is deception toward the Muslims. If this is accompanied by praising them and speaking well of them, it is even more severe and more reprehensible, may Allah protect us from it. It is obligatory for one who has knowledge to clarify the innovations and newly invented matters, to forbid them, to warn against them, and not to remain silent. Silence is a form of concealment
(159) Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of clear proofs and guidance after We made it clear for the people in the Scripture - those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse, (160) Except for those who repent and correct themselves and make evident
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْتُمُونَ مَا أَنزَلْنَا مِنَ الْبَيِّنَاتِ وَالْهُدَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا بَيَّنَّاهُ لِلنَّاسِ فِي الْكِتَابِ أُولَٰئِكَ يَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيَلْعَنُهُمُ اللَّاعِنُونَ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ تَابُوا وَأَصْلَحُوا وَبَيَّنُواThose - I will accept their repentance, and I am the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful.
فَأُولَٰئِكَ أَتُوبُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَأَنَا التَّوَّابُ الرَّحِيمُ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم عدم الرد على أهل البدع؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.